Chapter 556: He Has Already Found Me

Dark clouds swept across the sky toward the direction of West Hong.

Liu Shiqian and Chiyang watched Shen Zongzhu leave, only pulling their gazes back after a long while.

"Quick, look, what is that thing!"

Chiyang couldn't even be bothered with the wounds on his body, hurriedly leaning his head over, his heart brimming with emotion.

He had to admit, the most correct decision Old Liu had made in his life was, on the day the Nanyang treasure land re-emerged, when the other elders had left, he had chosen to stay behind.

That single act saved the other's life twice over.

From the three great demons of Bai Yujing in the Immortal's cave, to the deer demon and bat demon just now that rivaled the Dao Merging realm... damn, just talking about it is terrifying. Such a lineup — forget a mere elder of Qingyue Sect, even a Xian Sect master who had just entered Dao Merging might not have survived.

Yet Old Liu's injuries were even lighter than last time.

Having rendered such life-saving grace, Shen Zongzhu acted as if nothing had happened — not only too lazy to hear a word of thanks, he left with an air of casual indifference, and instead bestowed a favor upon Old Liu.

"Why wasn't it me who went to Nanyang Sect back then?" Elder Chiyang tugged at the corner of his mouth in vexation.

"..."

Liu Shiqian withdrew his gaze and carefully unfolded the golden register in his hand, immediately seeing a streak of guiding golden light shoot toward West Hong.

He read the writing on it carefully and murmured, "Wanxiang Pavilion?"

Chiyang pondered for a moment, a hint of puzzlement appearing in his eyes: "Seems like a newly risen Xian Sect, a force that specializes in gathering information. What kind of favor is this... wait, could it be that Shen Zongzhu already contacted them, gathered intelligence on the South Long Gong, and wants you to go fetch it?"

Thinking of this, Chiyang clicked his tongue repeatedly.

Even for one's own elders, one wouldn't be this generous — right when Old Liu's cultivation was breaking through, he was directly given a great merit, helping him secure his position while also gaining a few more chances to climb higher.

"Stop guessing wildly."

Liu Shiqian closed the golden register again. If what Chiyang said was true, then compared to the so-called merit, he was more concerned about whether he could safely deliver this intelligence back.

As for the favor Shen Zongzhu mentioned.

To be honest, Liu Shiqian didn't feel he had done much for Yishen Sect. With the speed of Shen Zongzhu's realm advancement, even without him, Liu Shiqian, there would be Zhang Shiqian or Wang Shiqian — after all, other people aren't blind.

That the other party still remembered him now, and had this intention, proved that his Liu Shiqian's eye for judging people... was really sharp.

"Understood, I'll go with you."

Chiyang saw through Liu Shiqian's worry, put away the Qingyue treasure ship he had just taken out, and produced two unremarkable substitute movement treasures.

Fearing that delay would breed trouble, the two no longer hesitated and directly rode their treasures toward the direction of the guiding golden light from earlier.

For cultivators of Bai Yujing, roaming in Hongze was still dangerous, but they could be considered to have some power of self-preservation.

Added to their deliberate low-profile conduct, sensing auras from afar and detouring in advance.

Along the way, they didn't encounter any danger.

At last, the welcoming platform lined with ancient, austere statues came into Liu Shiqian's view.

Before they could even be curious about West Hong's forces, the two men's bodies had already stiffened slightly.

Right there on the welcoming platform stood a great aquatic demon clad in exquisite armor. Though the sheer weight of its aura couldn't compare to the two demons from before, it was more than enough to inspire caution.

What made Liu Shiqian and Chiyang dare not act rashly was that the armor on the great demon clearly represented the identity of the West Long Gong — most likely a trusted subordinate under some Dragon Prince!

"Wh-what's going on."

Chiyang's face went numb, feeling only that his breathing had grown much more rapid.

Shen Zongzhu gave a favor — how did it lead the two of them right into the hands of the West Long Gong?

"Sigh."

Liu Shiqian said nothing, because the aquatic demon had already turned its head to look over.

He slowly extended his sword-finger gesture from his sleeve, readying himself to act.

Just as he was about to summon his Dao soldiers, he saw the aquatic demon roll its eyes and point at the ground: "Finally someone's here. We've already repaired this crack. Come take a look — if you're satisfied, then consider this matter settled."

Seventh Master Qi had simply walked away without leaving any instructions.

These demon generals didn't know what attitude to take in facing Wan Yao Dian either. Their faces were already thoroughly lost, so they might as well resolve the matter cleanly.

Rep... repaired?

This time, let alone Chiyang, even Liu Shiqian was struck dumb.

A trusted great demon of the dignified West Long Gong — in both status and strength, it would be no less than those elders under the Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong.

Here, repairing floor tiles for someone?

The Seven Sons had long been tucked away in a corner, never imagining that West Hong had reached such an absurd state?

"What are you gawking at? Just say whether it's acceptable or not." The demon general was clearly getting a bit impatient, yet still had to forcibly restrain its temper.

"..."

Liu Shiqian was silent for a long while, then nodded.

Having received a response, the demon general finally let out a breath of relief, casually cupped its fist in salute, and immediately transformed into a streak of light streaking toward the waters outside the mountain!

"Oh no, I must be getting old and dim-sighted — I saw a demon general of the West Long Gong bow to me."

Chiyang rubbed his eye sockets hard. The fright he'd received on this trip out of the sect on business might be greater than the sum of all the scares from the first half of his life.

"I'll go in and take a look. You wait for me outside."

Liu Shiqian steadied his emotions and stepped toward the formation ahead.

Even though the scene before him exceeded his understanding, he trusted that Shen Zongzhu would not harm him.

"Hold tight to your Dao tablet. Don't be careless."

Chiyang nodded. The two had worked together for many years — if something truly happened to the other, someone still had to get the news out.

"Mm."

The moment Liu Shiqian stepped onto the formation, he was enveloped by rippling Du Weiguang.

This was his first time leaving Yu Nanhong. Even with the steadiest of temperaments, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous now.

Shen Zongzhu's instructions had been too cursory — he didn't even know how to open his mouth when he met the fellow Daoists of Wanxiang Pavilion shortly.

However, the very next instant, the scene before his eyes caused Liu Shiqian to freeze on the spot.

He had been brought directly into a vast, empty great hall.

The seats arranged in neat rows on both sides, and the main seat at the very top — at this moment, not a single person was present.

"……"

Liu Shiqian felt an inexplicable chill run through his body for some unknown reason, then slowly turned to look.

He saw that at some unknown time, a sturdy, broad-shouldered figure had appeared standing at the doorway. The figure was covered by a dark-gold long robe, the face hidden beneath a wide hood, not the slightest trace of aura leaking from the entire body — like a bizarre dead object, yet giving off an inexplicable sense of nobility.

"I... Liu, here on orders to pay a visit to the sect, requests an audience with the Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Pavilion."

Liu Shiqian did not know the specific situation, nor dared casually reveal his identity, so he simply reached out and took out that golden booklet.

Immediately after, he once again fell into bewilderment.

He saw that the dark-gold-robed figure gently shook its head: "There is no Sect Master here for the time being."

"Then?"

Liu Shiqian wanted to ask more, but was cut off by the other raising a palm.

"Sit." The dark-gold-robed figure gestured toward the main seat.

Liu Shiqian hesitated for a moment, completely unable to figure out the current situation, yet unwilling to show weakness — lest he lose face for Shen Zongzhu — and could only brace himself and walk forward, then somewhat uncomfortably sat down upon the main seat.

He looked at the figure ahead in confusion, when suddenly he heard the other's faint laughter: "Now there is."

"Hiss."

Liu Shiqian's entire body leaned back against the chair, as if struck by lightning, hardly daring to believe his own ears — or perhaps he had misunderstood the other's meaning.

"The previous Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Pavilion has only just died, and this treasured land has not yet fully slipped from his control. Take advantage of now to merge with the Dao, perform the act of body-seizing, and you can greatly shorten the time. I hope you seize this opportunity, and do not let this benefit go to waste."

Wu Jun looked toward the lean middle-aged man on the main seat, his voice growing more serious: "Sect Master Liu."

Having said that, he turned and left the great hall.

Only after completely disappearing from Liu Shiqian's line of sight did Wu Jun stomp his foot hard — he was finally going to be free!

Damn it all — god knew how stuffed the other several hall masters had been eating alongside the master during this period, whereas he himself, honestly staying put at the Ten Thousand Phenomena Pavilion, hadn't gained a single benefit, and instead had inexplicably taken a brutal hit, nearly having his stone body shattered!

"My lord! Wu Jun is coming back!"

Inside the great hall, Liu Shiqian had no idea that the noble presence from moments ago had, the moment it turned around, become an entirely different appearance.

He merely stared blankly at the great hall ahead, his mind wandering to the heavens.

Liu Shiqian knew full well what kind of figure Shen Zongzhu was — so-called a drop of water's grace repaid by a gushing spring — but he truly had never imagined... that the single drop of water given back then would actually be exchanged for an endless Wang Yang.

The Dao-merging treasured land that the elders and personal disciples of the Qi Sect had been longing for was, in such an utterly unexpected situation, directly stuffed right into his own hands.

"Old Liu, what's the situation?"

A voice from Chiyang came through the Dao tablet, anxious: "Why no word at all?"

"I..." Liu Shiqian picked up the Dao tablet, opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond.

"What 'I' this, 'I' that — speak!" Outside the Ten Thousand Phenomena Pavilion, Elder Chiyang was so anxious his mouth was parched. Even though he had sufficient faith in Shen Zongzhu, this place was not their own Yu Nanhong, but the completely unfamiliar West Hong. Even a Heavenly Realm cultivator would not dare guarantee that absolutely nothing unexpected would happen.

"My path of cultivation seems to have unfolded a little further ahead." Liu Shiqian took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his voice. No matter how much he tried to appear calm, for a cultivator of Bai Yujing — who would dare say they did not wish to merge with the Dao? If one did not harbor such a thought, how could one ever ascend to Bai Yujing?

The other end of the Dao tablet suddenly fell into Tianyan Siji.

Elder Chiyang seemed to need a very long time to digest this sentence.

The atmosphere gradually grew somewhat awkward.

Finally, heavy breathing sounds rose from within the Dao tablet, followed by a voice, jealous to the point of madness, exploding forth:

"Liu! You truly deserve to die!!"

……

West Hong waters, Lady Yushan.

The graceful and noble Dragon Consort finally stepped out of that deep boudoir, and sat upright in the great hall. Beauties danced within the hall, fine wines and delicacies were laid out — all to entertain a single guest, arranged with the same grandeur as the original birthday banquet.

In the hall, a man draped in a black-and-white great cloak sat quietly behind the table, not touching the dishes or fine wine on the table, his sharp, fully revealed gaze never once falling upon those beauties.

This was a fierce, murderous tiger — one who had risen with overbearing momentum, and now held dominion over the Haoyue Shuanghu clan.

Even before experiencing the hundred-thousand-year killing calamity, among the older generation of demons and monsters comparable to Dao Merging, few were willing to provoke him.

Only because An Tingfeng was ruthless enough — not only toward outsiders, but equally ruthless toward his own clansmen.

Legend had it that he had even gone to North Hong to obtain an extremely vicious method, one that could temporarily borrow the power of his clansmen, consuming the essence-blood and lifespan of those Shuanghu, allowing himself to briefly step into strength comparable to the Heavenly Realm.

Although this wasted the potential of the entire Haoyue Shuanghu clan, and might even lead to a gap between generations and a calamity of clan extinction, it had nonetheless given him the qualification to sit before Lady Yushan's Dragon Consort.

"You are a senior; Tingfeng toasts you a cup."

An Tingfeng finally raised his wine cup, holding it with both hands, and gestured toward the woman on the main seat.

"No need for such courtesy."

Lady Yushan's Dragon Consort smiled faintly, raised her cup in response, yet slowly set it back down — showing no intention of drinking.

She disliked this fierce, murderous tiger. Even though he was a powerhouse she could not bypass if she wished to take control of West Hong, this man's aura of violence was too heavy. Even toward his own biological daughter he showed no mercy, violating the taboos of the Purple-Bearded White Dragon clan.

Moreover, the other party had clearly come with a purpose.

"……"

An Tingfeng, as if he had not seen the Dragon Consort's attitude, directly drained the fine wine in his cup in one gulp, then set down the wine cup, took out a letter from his sleeve and placed it on the table, getting straight to the point: "Tingfeng wishes to use this, in exchange for one sentence from the Dragon Consort."

Zi Xian briefly glanced at the letter, then quickly withdrew her gaze: "What sentence?"

Hearing this, An Tingfeng slowly rose, his gaze growing ever sharper: "The Dragon Consort should still remember the matter from last time. Tingfeng arranged for clansmen to investigate throughout West Hong for a long time, yet still found not a single trace. That person appeared as if out of nowhere, then vanished inexplicably — no origin, no purpose — making it truly impossible to know where to begin."

"You want me to help you find him?" Zi Xian returned her gaze to the envelope. If this was all that was being asked, then there was room to continue the discussion.

However, An Tingfeng slowly shook his head: "That is not what Tingfeng means. I simply suddenly realized — I had always felt that he must have schemed for a long time to be able to so easily break through the treasure formation I had set up, so I kept thinking about which forces had once come into contact with the treasure formation, or had come into contact with my clansmen."

"But now I understand. Compared to doing these half-measures that yield half the result for double the effort, it would be better to simply find those who hold grudges against my clan — whether great or small — and go through them one by one."

Hearing these words, Zi Xian could not help but frown: "Are you mad?"

In the chaos of Xi Hong, who doesn't have enemies everywhere? From An Tingfeng's tone, it seems he wants to provoke all his rivals at once.

"There's no need for Long Fei to worry about that."

An Tingfeng stepped forward to the center of the hall, bowed again, and lowered himself even further: "All I ask is one thing: what is the true identity of the young man who clashed with my clansmen at your birthday banquet?"

At these words, Zi Xian's expression shifted subtly.

She fell silent, gazing down from above.

Then a chill curled at the corners of her lips.

This tiger appeared to posture with extreme humility, even dared not lift his head, yet his sharpness could no longer be contained, radiating an almost aggressive intensity.

"So all that nonsense you said earlier was just empty talk—you merely suspected me all along."

"I dare not."

An Tingfeng finally straightened his body, his expression calm to the point of Tianyan Siji: "But I truly cannot understand—why, when you needed to court my favor, did you stand idly by as my clan was humiliated, and even invite that man into your private chambers?"

"I dare not disrespect Long Fei, nor doubt the Long Gong."

"I only wish to trade this letter for the identity of that man."

"..."

Hearing his flat tone, Zi Xian slowly lifted her chin. Her true aura began to shift—beyond her title as Western Palace Long Fei, her real strength lay in her power rivaling the Heavenly Realm, and as the beloved daughter of the Eastern Dragon King, her status equaled that of a Dragon Prince.

With no room for negotiation, her red lips parted, and she spoke coolly: "No."

She had expected An Tingfeng to erupt in wild rage, as he had that day.

But instead, upon hearing those words, the fierce tiger suddenly smiled, giving a slight nod: "Understood."

Seeing this, Zi Xian paused slightly, her demeanor softening a touch, and declared firmly: "But I can assure you, this matter has nothing to do with him."

That young man surnamed Shen—even with the Luli Qingfeng puppet—lacks the strength to breach the Baoyue Great Tomb.

Moreover, the clash at the banquet was merely a verbal dispute, utterly insufficient to make that boy incur the wrath of Haoyue Shuanghu Clan while Nan Hong's Seven Sons are so tense.

"Whether or not he's involved, I will find out myself."

"But I'd like to remind you: the fact that Nan Hong's Seven Sons came here seeking aid is no secret to us. The woman who clashed with my clan's youth at the banquet is the Daozi of Bihai Sect—anyone who looks into it will know."

"Under these circumstances, that young cultivator suddenly found an excuse to strike—and now you're even willing to sacrifice my respect for you to conceal his identity... Everyone knows your relationship with Nan Hong's Seven Sons is quite close."

"Thank you, Long Fei—you've just confirmed my suspicions even further."

When not in a state of madness, An Tingfeng was the ruthless clan chief who reclaimed the entire Haoyue Shuanghu Clan's authority by his own strength.

"Are you telling me this to boast of your wit or your intelligence?" Zi Xian gazed down silently, her Bai Xi, exquisite face utterly devoid of emotion.

"No. What I mean to say is, I've already found him."

An Tingfeng smiled, sincerely: "If Long Fei refrains from interfering, after this is over, in gratitude for the soul-renewing gifts you once granted me, Haoyue Shuanghu Clan will remain your most loyal supporter."

"This letter was given to me by your husband. I now return it to Long Fei—a small token, no need to be polite."

With that, the fierce tiger turned slowly and walked toward the hall's exit.

Today, from start to finish, he had only two goals: to confirm his suspicions once more, and to give Long Fei a warning—nothing more.

Long before arriving, he had already stationed his clansmen to lie in wait at the border between Nan Hong and Xi Hong.

Yet, just as An Tingfeng was about to step out of the hall, a vast, overwhelming force instantly enveloped him.

"What if I insist on intervening?"

Upon the throne, Zi Xian slowly rose to her feet.

Before absolute power, all schemes are meaningless. Right now, An Tingfeng's life rested in her hands—his fate was hers to decide.

"Chich..."

An Tingfeng suddenly covered his face, emitting a low, deranged laugh: "Do you really think I'd come here if I feared death?"

Zi Xian's eyelid twitched. She simply could not comprehend what could drive this tiger to risk his life—and even risk his entire clan's wrath—so fiercely to pursue Shen Yi.

"By the way, the secret technique I learned isn't just for gathering the lifespan and bloodline of my clansmen into myself... the reverse is also possible."

As he spoke, An Tingfeng's face rapidly turned deathly pale. He turned back, glaring fiercely at the woman seated high above: "Go ahead and strike. Then that young man you wish to protect will die at the hands of a Great Demon rivaling the Heavenly Realm—perhaps that's more dignified."

Clearly, he was using the secret technique to reverse-feed another Haoyue Shuanghu.

"..."

Zi Xian shot out her palm, vanishing from her spot, her right arm transforming into a snow-white dragon claw that clamped tightly around the tiger's neck. She hissed: "I told you, it has nothing to do with him, you madman."

She had once sworn to Jing Xi that she would protect him—how could she now allow the young sect master of Nan Hong's Seven Sons to die on her own territory?

But now, Zi Xian felt utterly powerless.

If she killed this tiger, the other one would become even more endangered... yet for Shen Yi, what difference did it make whether the demon was Earth Realm or Heavenly Realm? Both were Great Demons rivaling the Union of Dao!

"Tsk tsk tsk."

An Tingfeng could have used his secret technique to drain his clansmen's lifespans and ascend to the Heavenly Realm, breaking free from the dragon claw's grip.

Yet he offered no resistance—only grinned foolishly, spitting out a voice thick with venom from his stark, sharp teeth:

"I said it already—I've already found him!"

(End of Chapter)